Nine-month-old baby in hiding after attempted murder charge

Relatives of a nine-month-old baby charged with attempted murder in Pakistan have taken him into hiding, one said, in a case that has thrown a spotlight on Pakistan’s dysfunctional criminal justice system.

Baby Musa Khan appeared in court in the city of Lahore last week, charged with attempted murder along with his father and grandfather after a mob protesting against gas cuts and price increases stoned police and gas company workers trying to collect overdue bills.

“Police are vindictive. Now they are trying to settle the issue on personal grounds, that’s why I sent my grandson to Faisalabad for protection,” said the baby’s grandfather, Muhammad Yasin, referring to a central Pakistani city.